The Bible Scientific - Ecclesiastes 1:7

"The Bible Scientific" is my current blog series. Each post will examine a verse or two directly from Scripture and try to explain that Biblical quote from a scientific perspective.

It is often stated that the Bible and Science are not compatible, that the Bible is not a scientific text and that you can not believe the Bible and also believe science. I think this is short sighted as there are a number of places in Scripture where scientific facts were stated even before man understood them. The Bible is not a scientific text in that it is not meant to be the full explanation of scientific fact, but it does direct us to understand the nature of God scientifically as well as spiritually. It complements science. God uses His Word to help us understand Him and His creation with our mind, soul and spirit.

Galileo Galilei said:

"The prohibition of science would be contrary to the Bible, which in hundreds of places teaches us how the greatness and the glory of God shine forth marvelously in all His works, and is to be read above all in the open book of the heavens."

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In this post we will look at Ecclesiastes and Isaiah where they discuss the Water Cycle.

Ecclesiastes 1:7 (NIV) - All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

Isaiah 55:10 (NIV) – As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater.

These two verses suggest the flow of water from the sea to the sky to the rain, them back to the land and into the sea again. This is the fundamental principle of the Water Cycle or Hydrological Cycle. Without this process, life here would be impossible.

The water cycle describes how water evaporates from the surface of the earth and rises into the atmosphere, where it cools and condenses into rain or snow, forming clouds and eventually falling to the earth as precipitation. The falling water collects directly into the ocean or in rivers and lakes, the soil, and porous rock layers. From here it flows back into the ocean, and once again evaporates to complete the cycle.

There are many descriptions of the water cycle, with 4, 5, 7 or more steps in the cycle. Most start with some variation of these four main stages and expand each stage into more and more detailed components. All descriptions contain, in some form, these four steps of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection.

Let's look at each of these stages:

Evaporation: The heat from the sun causes the liquid water in the oceans, lakes, streams, and soils to turn into water vapor (a gas) and rise into the atmosphere.

Condensation: As the air cools down, the water vapor turns back into liquid water and coalesces to make clouds.

Precipitation: The water in the clouds then form into droplets of rain, snow, hail or sleet (as a liquid or solid - water or ice) and falls from the clouds in the sky.

Collection: Some of the falling water (as a liquid or solid) collects in the oceans, rivers, lakes, and streams. Most will infiltrate (soak into) the ground and will collect as underground water, which eventually finds its way back to the ocean.

The water cycle is powered by the sun's energy and by gravity. The sun kick starts the whole cycle by heating all the Earth's water and making some of it evaporate. Gravity makes the moisture fall back to Earth.

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He ...who calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the face of the land
— the LORD is his name. - Amos 5:8b (NIV)

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As you can see from this diagram, the cycle is much more complex than the simple description above of the four steps. In the first step, water rises into the atmosphere, leaving behind any accumulated minerals or other substances which can leave nutrients for plants and animals living on the land or in the sea. This also purifies the water so it can start the process clean.

As the water condenses into clouds, the clouds impact the weather in their location, possibly cooling the land or stirring up winds that will blow the clouds over the land from the ocean, further impacting the weather and affecting the type and chances of precipitation that may occur.

If the clouds move over higher elevations, the precipitation may come as snow which now covers the land with a very reflective surface which can reduce temperatures in the local area by reflecting back the sunlight. The snow and ice can also accumulate to form a water storehouse, later to melt and water the lowlands surrounding the snow pack. This collected water then extends the potential growing seasons for plant life and allowing life to flourish even when there is not continuous precipitation to provide regular waterings.

In the crucible of scientific investigation, the Bible has proven invariably to be correct. No other book, ancient or modern, can make this claim; but then, no other book has been written (through men) by God. From: Reasons to Believe.

I think as we learn more through scientific study and examination, if we are reasonable and open, we will see the hand of God at work.

Next up:

Psalm 139: 13-16 - For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Now in eBook Form - The Minerals of Revelation

The most searched blogs, by far, here on God's Chemistry Set are those dealing with "The Minerals of Revelation," a set of 14 blog entries covering the twelve stones used in the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem, as outlined in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 21, verses 19 & 20.

Because so many readers look to these works, I have put them all together in one place as an eBook, now available on Amazon.

These blogs review, one by one and in order, each of the twelve stones in the foundation of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:19-20). I discuss the stone, and possible other stones that could be represented, and look at its meaning and the connection to the twelve tribes of Jacob (breastplate of the high priest from Exodus 28:15-30 and Exodus 39:8-21) and to the twelve Apostles. I hope you find this information interesting and that it helps stimulate your own study of the Word of God.

The eBook also includes two additional, widely viewed blogs - "Atomic Glue - The Force That Holds the Atom Together" and "As Iron Sharpens Iron."

Please take a look and if you purchase the eBook I would appreciate a review.

Thanks

The Bible Scientific - Job 26:7

"The Bible Scientific" is my current blog series. Each post will examine a verse or two directly from Scripture and try to explain that Biblical quote from a scientific perspective.

It is often stated that the Bible and Science are not compatible, that the Bible is not a scientific text and that you can not believe the Bible and also believe science. I think this is short sighted as there are a number of places in Scripture where scientific facts were stated even before man understood them. The Bible is not a scientific text in that it is not meant to be the full explanation of scientific fact, but it does direct us to understand the nature of God scientifically as well as spiritually. It complements science. God uses His Word to help us understand Him and His creation with our mind, soul and spirit.

Galileo Galilei said:

"The prohibition of science would be contrary to the Bible, which in hundreds of places teaches us how the greatness and the glory of God shine forth marvelously in all His works, and is to be read above all in the open book of the heavens."

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Returning to Job we will consider verse 26:7 (NIV):

Job 26:7 (NIV) - He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.

Another scripture to look at in connection with Job 26:7 is this one:

Job 38:31-33 (NIV) – Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, and guide the Bear with her satellites? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, or fix their rule over the earth?

These sections of Scripture discuss gravity and the "empty space" that fills the void between the stars. Gravity holds the planets up on seemingly nothing. The Sun “rules” over the Earth (holds it in an orbit). Scientifically, we know that gravity is one of, and the weakest of, the four fundamental forces. It causes any two bodies to be attracted to each other, with the force proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Gravity caused the original gaseous matter present in the Universe to begin to coalesce and form stars and caused the stars to group together into galaxies. It did the same to form planets. Gravity is the force by which all things with mass or energy are brought together. Gravity gives weight to things on Earth and the Moon's gravity helps form the tides we see on Earth. It even holds the atmosphere around the Earth that otherwise would be torn away by the Solar wind.

The most extreme example of gravity is a Black Hole, from which nothing—not even light—can escape once it passes the Black Hole's event horizon.

The Pleiades and Orion are the only two constellations where the stars in them are bound by gravity to one another so they move as a unit (they are in the same galactic location). Other constellations appear together but some of the stars are much further away from us and only look close due to our angle of view. Stars are constantly moving relative to one another, as is the Earth, the Moon and any planet circling a star.

Because of the vast distances within the Universe, the stars seem to stay in one place but over extremely long periods of time (thousands to millions of years) they will gradually move apart - the constellations will change shape. The constellations that are not within a single galactic location will retain their appearance for a much shorter time as the stars within them will be moving independent of one another.

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When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them? - Psalms 8:3-4 (NIV)

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The Pleiades is among the star clusters nearest to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky.

Orion is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and is visible throughout the world. Along with the Pleiades, Orion is one of the most conspicuous and recognizable star systems visible with the naked eye. Orion is also useful as an aid to locating other stars. Its seven brightest stars form a distinctive hourglass-shaped pattern that points towards other visible stars, such as Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is a binary star (Sirius A and B) and is also one of our nearest neighbors in the Milky Way.

Amos 5:8 (NIV) - He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns midnight into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land— the LORD is his name.

Next up:

Ecclesiastes 1:7 (NIV) - All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.

The Bible Scientific - Leviticus 13:45-46

"The Bible Scientific" is my current blog series. Each post will examine a verse or two directly from Scripture and try to explain that Biblical quote from a scientific perspective.

It is often stated that the Bible and Science are not compatible, that the Bible is not a scientific text and that you can not believe the Bible and also believe science. I think this is short sighted as there are a number of places in Scripture where scientific facts were stated even before man understood them. The Bible is not a scientific text in that it is not meant to be the full explanation of scientific fact, but it does direct us to understand the nature of God scientifically as well as spiritually. It complements science. God uses His Word to help us understand Him and His creation with our mind, soul and spirit.

Galileo Galilei said:

"The prohibition of science would be contrary to the Bible, which in hundreds of places teaches us how the greatness and the glory of God shine forth marvelously in all His works, and is to be read above all in the open book of the heavens."

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Now we move into Leviticus, the book of the Law:

Leviticus 13:45-46 (NIV) – “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp."

This section of Scripture speaks to the control of disease, using quarantines when there was no cure and the disease in question appeared to be contagious. This is talking mostly about the ostracism of the incurable (lepers) in the desert where the Jews spent 40 years wandering until all who left Egypt had died (except two) and the LORD then led them into the promised land.

Does this sound familiar, in these days of COVID-19 and the corona virus? Social distancing, wearing masks, being "clean" (washing our hands and the surfaces we touch). Being asked (or told) not to leave our homes?

One thing is different, however, the Jews quarantined the person who was infected and it was incumbent on that person to tell everyone to stay away by shouting "Unclean!" Today everyone is encouraged to stay at home because we can not tell who is infected. Only those with symptoms, or a positive test, must be quarantined but everyone (sick or not) must wear a mask and stay six feet apart instead of shouting Unclean!

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So that you can distinguish between the holy and the common,
between the unclean and the clean,
- Leviticus 10:10 (NIV)

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Leprosy is a mildly contagious skin disease which had no cure at that time. It is a long-term infection by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. It can sometimes take up to 20 years to develop. Infections can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. The nerve damage creates a lack of pain sensation, which can result in damage to and loss of a person's extremities from repeated injuries or further infection of unnoticed wounds. Transmission of leprosy occurs during close contact with those who are infected.

Although Leprosy is only mildly contagious, it created a stigma for those with the disease and others were fearful of contracting it. So in following the advice of this verse, the Jews would quarantine those with leprosy outside of the camp to prevent the spreading of the disease. Here we see God directing his people to follow medical practices against a disease even though they knew nothing about how or why people got the disease.

People with the disease were required to cover their mouth (wear a mask). The transmission of leprosy is not well understood, but the upper respiratory tract is thought to be the most likely route of infection. They also had to be confined to specific areas to live so as not to infect otherwise healthy people.

Psalm 52:8 (NIV) - But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever.

God did not take away the suffering and stigma of the disease but he provided his people with a way to deal with the struggle. We need to learn that we will not be free of pain and suffering in this life but God is always with us, nonetheless.

Next up:

Job 26:7 - He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.

The Bible Scientific - Isaiah 40:22

"The Bible Scientific" is my current blog series. Each post will examine a verse or two directly from Scripture and try to explain that Biblical quote from a scientific perspective.

It is often stated that the Bible and Science are not compatible, that the Bible is not a scientific text and that you can not believe the Bible and also believe science. I think this is short sighted as there are a number of places in Scripture where scientific facts were stated even before man understood them. The Bible is not a scientific text in that it is not meant to be the full explanation of scientific fact, but it does direct us to understand the nature of God scientifically as well as spiritually. It complements science. God uses His Word to help us understand Him and His creation with our mind, soul and spirit.

Galileo Galilei said:

"The prohibition of science would be contrary to the Bible, which in hundreds of places teaches us how the greatness and the glory of God shine forth marvelously in all His works, and is to be read above all in the open book of the heavens."

=======================================================================

Moving on to Isaiah to look at the Earth.

Isaiah 40:22 (NIV) – He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

This verse has two parts but today we will just consider the first part - "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers."

We have discussed the second part already, that the heavens are stretched out like a tent, most notably in Psalm 104:2

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I could not do anything great or small
to go beyond the command of the LORD my God.
- Numbers 18:22b (NIV)

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Even this first part can be divided into two. The first half talks of God existing in the heavens (above the earth, inside and outside of the universe), and the second part - "its people are like grasshoppers." - pointing to the vastness of space and the majesty of God, as well as the smallness of man and his numbers.

This verse proclaims the Earth as round (a sphere) as opposed to flat. The Hebrew word "chuwg" means circle or sphere. The timing of the authorship of this verse is between the 6th and 8th centuries BC whereas the scientific proclamation that the earth is a sphere was not until the 3rd century BC, although it was thought to possibly be a sphere dating from the 6th century BC.

Another verse also points to the earth as a sphere:

Job 26:10 (NIV) - He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness.

Now lets look at the second part of this verse, "its people are like grasshoppers." This part looks at the insignificance of man in comparison to God. But we know that despite the seeming insignificance of man, God loves us and created us for a purpose. We see this in Romans.

Romans 8:39 (NIV) - Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thank you LORD for loving us!

Next up:

Leviticus 13:45-46 (NIV) - “Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ As long as they have the disease they remain unclean. They must live alone; they must live outside the camp.